City University of New York

The CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR) established by the City University of New York in 2007 as part of a significant commitment to launch New York’s first demographic research and training program, thereby producing an intellectually vibrant community of scholars in that field.  It is comprised of affiliates from many of the 23 CUNY campuses. Building on the presence of more than 30 demographers CUNY-wide, the City University of New York hired nine new faculty members in the field during the past few years.

CUNY’s Demography Certificate Program was designed to fill the needs for basic and applied researchers not only in the metropolitan area, but also nationally and internationally. The program promotes a variety of applied and interdisciplinary collaborations. The Institute’s faculty play a leadership role in the instruction of demography courses that students may take to meet requirements for the doctoral, masters, or bachelors degree.

With CUNY’s demography cluster initiative, the University has created the Institute, a home where scholars can gather to exchange ideas and receive the support necessary to accomplish the research agendas they establish. This engagement takes many forms, including cross-campus collaborations of faculty and students, development and support for new research and training initiatives, and a vibrant seminar series sponsored by the Institute, at which demographers from both CUNY and other universities, and from within or outside academia, present work of general interest.

The Certificate Program, which began in Fall 2010, consists of core courses in demographic theory and methods and a range of electives. A limited number of fellowships are available for demography students. On their applications, prospective students should describe their interests and background in demography and note their desire to be considered for a fellowship in demography. The fellowship consists of tuition, fees, and stipend, contingent on proper progress, for five years.

 The Certificate Program in Demography provides students with the tools to understand deeply, and conduct rigorous analyses of, population structure and processes. Specifically, the courses comprising the certificate focus, for example, on understanding the causes and consequences of changes in population-related phenomena such as family formation, fertility and reproductive health, disease, aging and mortality, urbanization, racial and ethnic composition, mobility, and how such changes shape social, economic, and political processes and outcomes at the local, national, and international level.